It was just a normal game of tug-o-war in the backyard when Chief suddenly lunged at his owner’s feet, growling and snarling. It happened so quickly, the owner fell backward and was unable to process what was going on. But then he noticed Chief shaking and flinging around a long, thin piece in his mouth. And it wasn’t the rope used for tug-o-war.
Here’s the rattlesnake that was lurking in the grass, ready to attack.
Chief attacked the snake before it could attack anyone else. But it bit Chief, and his nose started to swell up.
The venom set in quickly. Chief was panicking and didn’t want to be touched.
They carried Chief to the car and proceeded to the vet. “Thankfully, the ER Vet had anti-venom/antivenin on hand. I’m not sure he would have made it without it. It ran $780 for one vial so I’m grateful he didn’t need a second dose.”
“The ER found more snake bites on him but they think they were dry bites – where the snake didn’t inject venom when it struck. He was even more lucky because the snake struck the bony part of his muzzle which meant the fangs glanced off instead of really sinking in.”
Chief is such a hero! He would make a complete recovery. 🙂
It’s important to get the dog to the vet within an hour of the bite. The sooner they can inject the anti-venom, the better.
If you live in an area with a lot of rattlesnakes, it could be a good idea to get your dog vaccinated against snake venom.
Share this to help prevent any potential problems. 🙂
